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Tuesday, December 6, 2016

21st century parenting challenges require 21st century solutions. A new line of GPS Trackers are just that!

What is a parent to do with teen drivers in an age of texting when the largest cause for teen fatalities is distracted driving? How can a parent sleep knowing the results of AAA's recently published findings of a study that reveals the number one cause of teenage drivers' collisions is speed?

1. 33% of deaths among 13 to 19-year-olds in 2010 occurred in motor vehicle crashes.

2. 16-year-olds have higher crash rates than drivers of any other age.

3. 56% of teens said they talk on the phone while driving.

4. Statistics show that 16 and 17-year-old driver death rates increase with each additional passenger.

5. Only 44% of teens said they would definitely speak up if someone were driving in a way that scared them.

The good news is that, along with the challenges of parenting in the technological age, there are fun, techy tools that can help us survive it all!
Afraid of being a helicopter parent?

Spokesperson for AAA, Tamra Johnson, lays out the good news along with the bad:
Johnson said an AAA survey found parents were often more guilty of bad driving than their teens. Sixty-five percent of driving instructors complained parents were worse at teaching their children to drive than a decade ago.

“When parents set stricter rules for their teens before they get behind the wheel, those teens typically have less crashes,” Johnson said.

Isn't that comforting to know? Here is one arena that your tiger-mom, hovering parenting style has a one to one cause and effect. The firmer your rules, the safer they act!

But how do you create rules that can be monitored?

It's one thing to tell the kids how you feel about speeding or where they are allowed to go; its quite another to know if they are following your well-intentioned rules!

Enter the fun, techy gadget: iTrail® Solo

A small device that is easily hidden in a glove box, the iTrail can text or email you when the drivers goes over a certain speed. You can set the technology up with your own discretions called "excessive speed alert." Know about their lead foot before the police do and before anything tragic happens!

Additionally, you can see starts and stops, idling, and whether or not they leave the Geo-fencing you've set up. You can create a safety zone —AKA, Geo-Fence — to alert you when your teen drivers leaves this pre-determined safety zone.The iTrail monitors their position on Google Maps and reports back to you every 30-60 seconds.

Furthermore, you can see your teens' driving patterns in the reporting. You can set the report to highlight speed changes (by setting a speed threshold that show different speeds, i.e. If they are going 65 than slow to 35 than back up to 65, they are most likely texting, talking on the phone or being a distracted driver.)

With this GPS tracking device, parents can see when their teens drive, how they drive, where they drive, and what roads they drive on! The iTrail really is the best device currently on the market for parents of teen drivers!

Monday, November 21, 2016

Like it or not, technology affects everyones day to day life. Truth is, technology is advancing so quickly, it’s hard for any of us to keep up. One of these latest advancements may mean change for many business owners. For years, news of an upgraded technology for the 3G/CDMA network has filled our inboxes and tech mags, and now the time has come. The 2G GSM network’s disappearance is no longer a future prospect, but rather an imminent event.

There are a plethora of devices that work on cellar networks, GPS trackers being one. Just like your cell phone, tracking devices become slow in communicating or just plain-old out-dated. Owners of GPS trackers have been quite lucky to have received service from the same GPS tracking devices using the 2G GSM network for as long as they have, however all that now is changing.

The decisions to do away with the 2G GSM network was made by the carrier company AT&T. With this decision comes good news and bad news. The good news is that 3G/CDMA will ensure faster speeds and better connectivity for GPS tracking devices. As of December 31, 2016, just two months from now, the 2G GSM network will no longer be active.The choice to shut down all 2G GSM networks was made in an effort to free up valuable spectrum and also increase speed and capacity using more adequate cellular technologies.

The bad news for business owners who have relied on the efficient ways of GPS tracking to monitor their business will have to reinvest in newer, faster GPS models or face massive coverage outages or no coverage at all in their area.

Luckily, KJB Security anticipated this change and set out to fill the need, and as a result, the iTrail Live tracking devices were developed. As the end of 2G GSM network draws nigh, make sure to upgrade your devices to the iTrail CDMA devices!

Quick facts to know about the 2G GSM Shutdown:

If the your tracker is meant to work only on 2G GSM network, it will NOT work on a 3G/CDMA network as these are two fundamentally different communication techniques.

In addition to the AT&T shutdown, currently many countries are shutting down the 2G GSM network, because the 2G GSM network takes a lot of resources to support.

For faster speeds or the future, the 3G device is the better choice than 2G GSM Tracker.

Companies are still selling 2G GSM devices, that as early as December 2106 will no longer work.

All iTrail Live devices utilize the Verizon CDMA network and will thus work on all the new 3G networks and any remaining old 2G GSM networks.

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Are you looking for a smart way to optimize your deliveries and ensure that your customers are supremely satisfied? Have you ever thought of GPS tracking for your service delivery vehicles? If not, you should.

GPS technology is changing the way businesses are shipping and receiving their products all over the world. Fleet tracking is becoming more of a necessity than just a convenience and here are some of the reasons why:

Monitor your Inventory: You can monitor your inventory as it moves throughout your supply chain. This allows you to supercharge your response times with real-time tracking, giving you the option to immediately deploy the vehicle that is closest to the location of delivery/service and update your clients as the delivery is being made. Say your driver is stuck in traffic, you can notify your client of the delay and adjust accordingly.

Increased Productivity: Increase the productivity of your drivers. By continuously monitoring your fleet, everyone will be held to the same standards and in return, your employees will be more productive.

Lower Insurance: Many insurance companies will lower your insurance premiums if they know you are tracking your assets.

Theft Recovery: Means exactly how it sounds. If your vehicle is stolen or lost, you can use the Live GPS Tracker to find its exact location.

Tax Write Off: If you have employees that use their own vehicles for deliveries and services, they can keep track of the mileage and use it as a tax write-off at the end of the year!

Extend the life of your fleet: By keeping track of your mileage on each vehicle in your fleet, you can in turn, keep track of when the vehicle needs to be maintained. This allows you to extend the life of your fleet, thus saving you money in the long run.

If you’re serious about optimizing your sales, increasing employee productivity and providing top-notch customer service, what are you waiting for?

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Recently I attended a free social media seminar with my husband and business partner. I used to attend seminars like this one regularly but in the last few years I found myself skipping them time and again. I'd tell myself, “I bet it's just a sales pitch or I just don’t have time.”

Or, quite frequently, “what will I hear that I haven't heard at a thousand other business seminars?” In other words what do I have left to learn?

In the early days at KJB I gobbled up every free seminar I could. Labor laws, hiring practices, accounting information, advertising lectures, there was so much to learn and it was all so exciting! Time went on and I joined professional groups that refined my focus on the particular business challenges my company faced. I made great friends and network contacts but the day-to-day grind of leadership caused cynicism to creep in. During 15 years of business leadership I've learned that there is a time for everything – including a time to think big and a time to sweat the small stuff. In 2015 the day to day operations of KJB Security required a LOT of small stuff sweating. Finally, I realized that focusing two steps ahead made me long for the days when running a business seemed so exciting. I really missed the opportunity to learn and grow and get others' insights on day to day problems. I wanted to see more than two steps ahead... I wanted to see the horizon again.

My way to do that was to get out of the corner office and back in the classroom – the business seminar classroom that is. Which brings me back to my recent outing to the social media seminar. Did I hear anything I'd heard before? Of course, but that's not the point.... the point is tat putting myself in a mindset of learning brought new energy, new excitement back to KJB. Like the captain that turns her ship and crew toward uncharted waters, it's not about what you already know.... it's about what you might learn. My new mid-year resolution is to look for seminars and learning opportunities that I might otherwise have tossed away.

Sure, the invites that come in might be sales pitches.

And yeah, my time will always be at a premium.

But who cares? Because if I've learned anything it's that I can always learn something.

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

In our last blog here we discussed the various merits of a stand-alone DVR hidden camera versus a wi-fi hidden camera. As we noted in that blog wi-fi hidden cameras come with two options for their remote connectivity: peer to peer (referred to as P2P) and peer to internet (referred to as P2I.) Let's dive a little deeper into these two kind of wi-fi connections.

For Peer to Peer there is no internet protocol (IP) channeling the data between your hidden camera and the viewing device. The hidden camera itself acts as a wi-fi transmitter and sends live video to your phone as long as it's within range of the camera.

On the plus side:• Makes setting up the hidden camera easy, just check your smart device to see what the camera sees.• No need to access your IP address.• No connection over the internet means your video is more secure.

Things to consider:• Less remote capability as the video will stream only when your smart phone is in range of the camera.

For Peer to Internet the user connects a smart phone to the hidden camera through a router and network SSID. Add the app to as many devices as necessary so that more than one person can monitor the video feed. Users with long term hidden surveillance needs can really benefit from a Peer to Internet connection.

On the plus side:• Very little limitation to remote access of the data.• Easy for more than one person to monitor the hidden camera remotely.

Things to consider:• Set-up is more complicated as access to the user's IP settings is necessary.• Bandwidth is a consideration as narrow bandwidth, or several devices using the same router, can affect the video’s clarity.

Our SleuthGear Zone Shield and Xtreme Life Wi-Fi Hidden cameras offer both P2P and P2I connections and our customer service reps are ready to handle any tech difficulties that arise after your purchase.

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Having been in the business of hidden surveillance for some time we have seen a huge rise in wi-fi devices using apps that allow users to stream the feed from their hidden cameras. At the same time there has been a decline in demand for the traditional stand-alone devices that record captured video to a memory card for later review. Wi-fi technology (sometimes, and not always correctly, referred to as the internet of things) certainly seems convenient and flashy but sometimes value is in the eye of the beholder. Do stand-alone DVRs still have a place in the market and in homes? Let’s talk about a few of the pros and cons of each while determining how to spend that hard earned money.

Our stand-alone hidden camera DVRs have been used reliably for over a decade. Its set-up is relatively simple, a few clicks with the included remote sets time and date, motion activation preferences, recording time. Simply remove the memory card, pop it into your computer and review your captured video as easily as surfing social media. If we’re making comparisons this hidden camera DVR is the 1989 Chrysler LeBaron that your parents let you drive in high school. Sure it’s a bit stripped down but it won't leave you stranded wondering what your teenagers are doing down in the basement. And speaking of teenagers in the basement, this DVR is no Snapchat nightmare waiting to happen…. a hidden camera that’s not connected to the internet is almost impossible to hack.

Now we all want to grow out of that '89 LeBaron at some point. And the shiny new Acura bought with our first grown-up paycheck sure looks nice sitting in the driveway. But in time we’re bound to find out that all its bells and whistles mean there’s more to maintain. The same principles apply to wi-fi electronics. While we want all our wi-fi gadgets to work without fail, a hidden camera is not an iPhone. For the best user experience we have a couple of suggestions: First, determine if you need Peer to Peer (P2P) or Peer to Internet (P2I) connectivity. Our Zone Shield and Xtreme Life cameras can work with either. For a P2P connection the camera’s own wi-fi module generates a signal that you can stream on an app as long as you’re in range of the camera. It’s great for checking on nap time while trying to get that last little bit of yard work done.

For a P2I connection the camera connects through your router using your network SSID just like any home automation device. Our wi-fi hidden cameras do come with 720p resolution but that HD resolution also means they have a pretty hefty appetite for bandwidth when connected via P2I. Think about how many wi-fi devices are plugged in at your house…. tablets, phones, TV receivers? Our wifi module has a strong signal but it’s only as good as your router signal. For the best results we recommend setting the camera to VGA 640x480, the higher the definition the more bandwidth your camera will chew up.

Fortunately our Zone Shield and Xtreme Life families have both stand-alone DVRs and wi-fi connected hidden cameras available. Refer to the table below to determine if your hidden surveillance problems can be solved with the hidden camera equivalent of a spiffy Acura or a reliable Chrysler.

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

As I write this I'm winging across the ocean on a research and development mission to the Hong Kong technology trade shows. Just as we've spent 15 years at ISC West, KJB has spent almost the same amount of time spanning the globe looking for new and exciting technology.

But it sure does take a long time to get there.

So while we are tucked in at 40,000 feet I'll share of my favorite pictures from our just closed visit to ISC West. After all trade shows are all about the people:

Ready to take on ISC West!

Sabar and Jill proudly show off the LawMate cover products available from KJB

Can you spot the hidden sales rep?

Chad, Neil, Crystal, and Pete ready for Day 2 of the show.

Making their ISC West debut our Zone Shield and Xtreme Life hidden cameras
are always ready for action.